Today we are excited to introduce you to Marissa Garcia, the Executive Director of Huerto de la Familia, and the inspiring work she does!

“Huerto de la Familia offers Latino families a place to connect to our roots and the earth by growing our own food, as well as training and peer education in organic gardening, small scale farming and small business creation. We build wide-ranging partnerships to achieve our goals of cultural identity, community integration and economic self-sufficiency in the Latino community.”

Click here to preorder Live Like You Give a Damn: Join the Changemaking Celebration! Special price of $14.99 until 4/16 only!

In the early 80s I worked as a futures/research consultant attempting to enable leaders of mainline denominations, like Presbyterians, Lutherans and American Baptists, to pay attention to their changing attendance patterns. For the first time, many mainline denominations were experiencing not only a decline in membership and attendance but rapidly aging populations. Even though many leaders acknowledged the declining trends, they assured me that it was nothing to be concerned about.

As we rapidly approach the second decade of the 21st century, mainline denominations are declining at 1% to 4% a year and the rate of change is going to start accelerating. This means that church member’s investments of both time and money in local and global missions are also declining…which undermines their ability to be the compassion of Christ in these increasingly turbulent times.

Today, I believe many of the leaders of evangelical denominations are now the ones in denial about the declining numbers and graying congregations. I suspect many of them will be alarmed when they too see their investment of time and money to be the compassion of Christ to their neighbors locally and globally will also decline.

What are your responses to both declining attendance and graying congregations in both mainline and evangelical denominations? What are your ideas of ways to turn these trends around? What are your ideas to influence those that are still in our churches to invest more of their time and resources to being the compassion of Jesus in times like these? How do you plan to live like you give a damn?

This is an urgently important question raised by Pew Center for Research that predicts that over a third of the millennial generation {18 to 35 year olds} are choosing not to affiliate with the church. There is a growing conviction that unlike the boomer generation they will not return when they are married with kids.

Josh Packard in important research in his book Church Refugees reinforces the very real possibility that the church may not have a gen next future. Listen to this concerning report from Holy Soup:

“At Group’s recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He explained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best.

For the church, this phenomenon sets up a growing danger. The very people on whom a church relies for lay leadership, service and financial support, are going away. And the problem is compounded by the fact that younger people in the next generation, the Millennials, are not lining up to refill the emptying pews.

Why are the Dones done? Packard describes several factors in his upcoming book, Church Refugees (Group). Among the reasons: After sitting through countless sermons and Bible studies, they feel they’ve heard it all. One of Packard’s interviewees said, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just done with having some guy tell me what to do.”

The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.

Will the Dones return? Not likely, according to the research. They’re done. Packard says it would be more fruitful if churches would focus on not losing these people in the first place. Preventing an exodus is far easier than attempting to convince refugees to return.”

WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS ABOUT NOT ONLY HOW TO SLOW THE EXODUS OF THE YOUNG…. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW TO REINVENT OUR CHURCHES THEY MORE AUTHENTICALLY REFLECT THE WAY OF JESUS THE YOUNG WILL HAVE A REASON TO STAY??? SEND ME YOUR IDEAS

What we wear tells a story of who we are and what we value. It is a powerful expression of self-identity that is often one of the first things that others take notice of. We communicate a story without words through these mundane, everyday choices.

Ethical and eco-conscious fashion by Same Thread

Look at the clothes you are wearing right now….What story do they tell about you? We often strive to construct an image through clothing to expresses internal qualities such as creativity, free spiritedness or minimalism. But how often do we use clothing to express our values of sustainability, social justice or empowerment?

In our increasing fast-moving world, clothing construction and fashion have become less of an art of self-expression and more of a disposable commodity. On our backs one day, in the trash the next. The explosion of “fast fashion” in recent decades has proved to be disastrous both environmentally and economically for garment workers and their communities worldwide. Would you believe that 80-90% of what you are wearing was made in inhumane, unsustainable conditions? The hard truth this is most often the case. Sweatshops are not a thing of the past and expensive or high-end clothing is not exempt to this problem.

This is hard to swallow, and as someone who loves fashion and also strives to be an advocate for social justice, it can seem too overwhelming to even think about. However, information and acknowledgement is where change begins. So why should you give a damn about where your clothing comes from and what can you, practically, do?

When discussing the issue of ethicality in the clothing industry, one may have images of sweatshops and child laborers in developing nations toiling all day in inhumane conditions. Although this image may seem extreme, it is a very real aspect of our current garment and fashion industry practices worldwide. Sweatshops from Bangladesh to Cambodia to Mexico routinely pay their workers less than $1.20 per day for their work. This is not a living wage, even in the most poverty-stricken communities. The chronic underpayment of garment industry workers creates a cycle of poverty in already struggling communities, in turn contributing to other social issues resulting from poverty such as lack of access to education, health problems, and sex work. Not to mention the environmental toll that fast fashion takes on the communities in which they are made. Sweatshops are not only present in developing nations but are also a growing problem in the United States.

Ethical and eco-conscious fashion by Same Thread

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in recent years roughly 11,000 U.S. based factories were cited as violating workers’ rights and not paying laborers a minimum wage. This shows the problem of human rights violations in textile and garment factories is not only an international problem but a domestic problem as well. Additionally, many companies touted as being ethically made have had numerous sweatshop scandals. When it comes to clothing ethicality we must learn to be active, not passive, consumers of information.

Recently a study was conducted by the American Sociological Association regarding the marketability of fair trade products; this study found that an overwhelming majority of consumers would pay $1-$5 more for items they know are made in an ethical way. Although large strides towards ethical production have been made in the coffee, chocolate and food industry, the clothing industry remains hugely underserved.

You may say “Well, now I’m thoroughly depressed… What can I actually do without having to trade in all my favorite items for hemp, organic, recycled burlap sack crap?” All change starts with small steps. Here are some suggestions for leaning into change when it comes to fashion:

Realize that someone is paying the price for your clothing…is it you or the garment worker? Jeans should cost more than $9.99. When you come across clothing that is extremely cheap ask yourself, “what kind of production practices lend itself to producing a $3 tank top”? The answer is usually pretty obvious.

Inform yourself about your favorite brands. It is well-known that companies such as Forever 21, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, and Wal-Mart have unethical supply chains. However, information and transparency is severely lacking for many brands, especially those that are higher end. Do some digging online and if nothing is available, request information. Here is a thorough list to get you started on what companies to avoid and which to buy.

If you are unsure, shop local and second-hand. Finding local markets and boutiques that sell items from local designers supports your community’s economy and makes it easier to engage in conversation and get information. Also, second-hand and vintage shopping can be a cost-effective and fun way to go! Most of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe were found at great vintage stores. I love that shopping locally and second-hand gives me a unique wardrobe and personal style.

Start exploring and support fair trade fashion companies. As I stated earlier, finding fair trade clothing that is actually fashionable can be a struggle. Many fair trade clothing companies are either insanely expensive or produce clothing you wouldn’t want to wear. However, lately there has been a huge surge of new fashionable clothing companies that are competitively priced. Here is a list of some of my current fair trade favorites: Della LA,Mata Traders,People Tree,Fortress of Inca.
Due to the lack of choice in the ethical clothing market, I was inspired to create and launch an ethically made, eco-friendly women’s clothing company that works to economically empower women thus impacting their communities. Same Thread works with women in NE Thailand providing job skills training and stable employment in an effort to combat the prevalence of sex work through prevention. For more information visit us at Samethread.com.

Informing ourselves and leaning into change is the first step to breaking our collective addiction to fast fashion. Join me in working to bring ethical progress to the fashion industry.

Katie is a native Pacific Northwesterner with a passion for social justice and bringing fair trade businesses practices into the mainstream. She is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Same Thread, an ethically made and eco-conscious fashion company. In 2014 she completed her MA in International Development, where she focused on social enterprise and its capacity to economically empower women. On a typical Saturday she can be found cooking, sewing, drawing, listening to records, vintage shopping, sipping whiskey and playing with her puppies at her home in Seattle.

In my new book, Live Like You Give A Damn! Join the Changemaking Celebration I am going to introduce you a new generation, a surprising number of whom, want to use their lives to make a difference in the lives of others. I also want to introduce you to YES! It is my favorite magazine for sharing what is happening on the innovative edge and ways we can all become more creative.

Here is an excerpt from my new book:

“Many of the changemakers I am introducing you to are not people of faith, but often they are people of compassion. Shouldn’t we become people of “compassion and action” too? Shouldn’t we, who are followers of Jesus, express our love for both God and neighbor in more concrete ways? Lets start where many of the changemakers start—by imagining new ways we can join in making a real impact in the lives of our neighbors as you will do in our next chapter on creativity.

This is an invitation to discover how God can enable us to unleash the potential of our imagination, to create new ways to be a difference and make a difference. Peggy Taylor and Charlie Murphy, writing in YES! Magazine, state, ‘Creative expression opens the door to the inner world of our imaginations: it is here that we make meaning of our lives; it is here that motivation takes root. The more creative we are, the more capacity we have to imagine what’s possible and make those visions real.'”
This is your invitation to join the changemaking celebration by inviting God to ignite your imagination to “imagine what’s possible” and make our visions for changemaking in the lives of other real! This is your invitation to join a new generation of changemakers who are living like they give a damn!

“Hitting the reset button” is one way to think about preparing for the season of Lent, suggested Cherry Haisten during our Ash Wednesday Service at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle. She added, “For many of us it can be a more serious time to make a new beginning than many of us achieve with our new resolution on January 1”.

It is an opportunity to look at ourselves honestly. It is an opportunity to release attachments that pull us away from God, those we love and our best selves. It is also an opportunity to live our lives with more intentionality creating new ways to use our time and money for what matters most.

In my upcoming book, Live Like You Give A Damn: Join the Changemaking Celebration, I observe that many of us could be missing out on living our best lives. Doesn’t it too often feel like our churches seem to become chaplains to the dominant culture…simply helping us limp through the week instead of empowering us to live our best lives?

As we hit the reset button for Lent 2016 we have the opportunity to not only make changes in our “time styles” and to be more present to God and those we love. We also have the opportunity to carve out space in our lives to join those in the changemaking celebration who are creating new ways to empower our most vulnerable neighbors. I guarantee you will enjoy this Lenten activity much more that giving up Lattes or chocolate!

Last year during Lent Pope Francis stated that more important than fasting from candy or alcohol is fasting from “our indifference towards others.” I urge you to Join those that are enjoying Lent more than ever before because they are creating innovative new ways to live like they give a damn!

Have you ever had “a serious coming to Jesus moment” that turned your life upside down??? I did! My upside down experience happened in a huge inflated tent with some 2,000 others at the SOCAP Conference in San Francisco the first weekend in September 2013.

SOCAP Conference in San Francisco.

Most of the participants seemed to be under 40 and were interested in becoming social entrepreneurs and local community empowerment activists. There were also reps from Silicon Valley and the Bill Gates and Rockefeller foundations. But there were also a few of us that were there simply out of curiosity, asking “What is this movement of new changemaking?”.

Just as I settled in a series of enormous gusts of wind hit the huge tent. Some people rushed for the exit. For a moment it felt like we could be blown into the bay. However, the flurries that were stirred up in my life learning about remarkable new forms of changemaking was much more impacting than the gusts.

D-Lite lamp

For example I learned about a former young Peace Corp member named Sam who collaborated with other students at Stanford to create an alternative to the kerosene lamp in areas of the planet without electrification. They created and marketed a durable solar lamp called D-lite. It provides 4 hours of light in the evening for families. It doesn’t start house fires or pollute. In less than a decade this social enterprise has been scaled up and is now being used by 10 million households in India.

Portage Bay Cafe Seattle

As my wife Christine picked me up at the airport here in Seattle my mind was still reeling by the potential of this new changemaking revolution. On Sunday we routinely go out for breakfast together. This Sunday we went to a local cafe that specializes in sustainable food, the Portage Bay Cafe. As I looked up from my menu I noticed that all of the wait staff were wearing black tee shirts that read “Eat Like You Give a Damn!. I exclaimed, “that’s it!” I want to help wake others in the church live up to the potential of this changemaking revolution! Then I suddenly realized… before I could share what I Iearned I needed to get out of the bleachers and become actively involved again myself.

One of the small ways in which I am leaning into this changemaking revolution is through participating in local empowerment. I have become a volunteer in a community empowerment project in Seattle as my way to join a new generation of changemakers and “live like I give a Damn!”

What are the ways in which we can harness our creativity and innovation to “live like we give a damn”?